During the manufacture of metallic and plastic parts, a variety of sequential machining operations are performed to create the parts. These machining operations may include turning, drilling, milling, shaping, planing, boring, broaching, and sawing. During these operations, waste chips are generated. Additionally, various coolants and lubricants may be used during these operations that subsequently remain on the part. The waste chips and leftover coolants and/or lubricants may have a negative impact on the quality of the part. Thus, it is important to remove waste chips and fluids from the finished part.
Parts may be subjected to a parts washing between or after the machining operations. A parts washer sprays a fluid on the part to remove the waste chips and/or the leftover fluids. To increase the effectiveness of the parts washer, compressed air may be supplied as a carrier for the fluid to further increase the spray pressure.
Known parts washers are typically comprised of a horizontal fluid supply pipe with a plurality of nozzles extending from the horizontal pipe toward the part to be washed. The fluid and air mixture is fed through the nozzles and sprayed at the part. As the waste chips are dislodged from the part, they tend to accumulate between the nozzles on the horizontal pipe. Over time, the accumulated waste chips fill in any spaces on the horizontal pipe between the nozzles. This accumulation of waste chips continues until the parts washer is cleaned or the nozzles become obstructed and the parts washer must be shut down. Cleaning of the parts washer requires shutting down the washer, thereby impacting productivity and requiring additional labor for cleaning the parts washer.
The use of compressed air as a carrier for the fluid also has numerous drawbacks. For example, by adding pressurized air to the fluid, the combined air/fluid mixture is more atomized, increasing the amount of fluid that becomes airborne. The increased amount of airborne fluid may require increased ventilation and masking in the area of the parts washer.
Therefore, there exists a need in the art for a parts washer that addresses the accumulation of waste chips and which avoids problems associated with the use of compressed air.